Chapter 746

Secretary Yue finished speaking, turned and went to the small office nearby.

Su Yang hesitated a moment, then, under everyone's gaze, also followed.

The others saw Secretary Yue wanting to speak privately with Su Yang, and envy, jealousy, and hatred showed in their eyes.

At this moment, it's not hard to see Secretary Yue's concern for Su Yang. They don't dare hope to be favored like Su Yang, but as long as they have this connection, when the time comes they could kneel at his feet, weeping and saying a few kind words—nothing else—and even if they were summoned by the Discipline Inspection Commission for tea, they'd at least get some consideration, not be beaten to death.

Hou Junlai felt his insides churning, thinking, This bet finally paid off; I've long known Su Yang has a deep background and close ties to Governor Zhou, but I didn't expect he also has this connection with Secretary Yue—going forward, it'll be hard not to prosper.

Within the System, it's like this: share honor, share loss. Some connections, once you've climbed them, may not bring you much benefit, and might not help you at a critical promotion, but at a critical moment they will absolutely save you.

Wang Huai Zhong seemed thoughtful; it appears his clear-cut support for Su Yang this time is undoubtedly the right choice. Originally he thought Su Yang had 100% backing from senior leaders, but hearing Secretary Yue directly label it a black‑society criminal gang made him realize the backing wasn't just from senior leaders—others must be involved too.

As far as he knows, Mayor Gao and Geng Miao also have contacts, though they keep them hidden; ordinary people don't know. Given such a massive inspection, it seems Mayor Gao may struggle to pass this hurdle—his chances look slim. If so, does he have a chance to move up half a step? Thinking this, he actually felt a little excited.

Inside the office, Secretary Yue sized up Su Yang: "Comrade Su Yang, your name is like thunder in my ears. If I'm not mistaken, it's only been a little over half a year, and you've already been through our Discipline Inspection Commission's little black room three times. But you can uphold justice, stay true to your original aspiration, and think only of the common people's interests—that's rare."

"The problems in Lieshan Xian have long existed; over the past few years leaders have changed like a revolving door, yet nothing improves—former leaders either ended up imprisoned, removed, or drowned. At first, at least seven members of the County Party Committee stood up against Geng Miao's actions, but later they all became his lackeys. You heard right: lackeys, they don't even qualify as a protective umbrella."

"You came to Lieshan Xian and caused such a stir—that's commendable. It's precisely because of your efforts that we've seen such a breakthrough; Governor Huang and I discussed Lieshan Xian's situation, estimating it would take about a year to break through, yet you achieved it in less than half a month—this speed indeed exceeds our expectations, and we didn't anticipate things here would be so thorny."

"But now that we've reached this point, I think you see clearly enough: some people just want Geng Biao and Geng Le dead, and regardless of whether you go, their fate is already sealed; the only variable is whether the former county magistrate's granddaughter from Lieshan Xian can be rescued."

"If it's from my work duties, I will certainly respect your choice and let you go to the scene—after all, you are a county cadre, and this happened, so it can't be said you have no responsibility; going to the scene as a representative of the county cadres is only natural. The standing committee of your county is utterly corrupt; besides you and that Hou Junlai, no one else can be trusted."

"But out of personal feelings, I think you'd better not go. If you go, they'll surely throw you under the bus; I'll say something unpleasant: right now, not everyone in the Lieshan Public Security Bureau necessarily trusts you, and after you go you'll have to watch out for your own people as well as Geng Biao and Geng Le. Most importantly, they carry guns—if they shoot you at close range, nobody can save you."

"If that really happens, how am I to explain to Minister Fang? How to Governor Weiguo? How to Comrade Zhengyang? And Ruo Han is still pregnant—do you think she could bear such a blow? Besides, there are still those few elders."

"So, from a personal standpoint, I don't agree with you going; as for those outsiders, I'll speak to them. At the same time, I'll have the special police go set up an ambush and look for a chance to take them out directly. Given the special police's professional skill, I think successfully taking out Geng Biao and Geng Le wouldn't be hard. In short, even if you don't go, this matter can still be resolved. Of course, if you could go, it might add a bold stroke to your résumé, but not going entails no loss."

Su Yang heard this, and various questions popped up in his mind—he had never heard Old Zhou mention any connection with the head of the Discipline Inspection Commission before.

In a flash he realized: Secretary Yue probably has a good relationship with Old Fang, and with Old Zhou's rising momentum so strong, they'd naturally look after him—he should accept that favor. In short, in this circle, connections always interconnect.

He expressed his thanks: "Thank you, Secretary Yue. As you said, I'm also a part of Lieshan Xian; with such a big incident, as a county Party Committee leader I bear responsibility. I can't let the common people think that when something happens, our county's leaders dare not step up to take responsibility—even with such risk, I'm willing to go myself; please rest assured, I will certainly protect myself as well."

Secretary Yue nodded inwardly; he greatly approved of Su Yang's attitude. He had originally wanted to advise Su Yang not to go, but now that Su Yang insists on going, he finds it hard to stop him.

He first left the office and said to those nearby: "Notify the Public Security Bureau side, get Comrade Su Yang ready with a bullet‑proof vest. Also, give orders to all the public security officers and special police involved in this operation—make sure Comrade Su Yang's safety is assured."

Su Yang had finished packing and was about to set out when Sun Chengjun's side also returned with their team. Hearing the news, he without a word got into Su Yang's car.

"I say, why are you following up there? The people directing the scene over there aren't you, and even if you went, those folks probably wouldn't listen to you. You've busted so many illegal venues—if you now go in to report work, it'll deepen the leaders' impression of you."

Sun Chengjun said: "What are you talking about? I'm just a small platoon leader—I've gotten this far only thanks to your help. At this life‑or‑death moment, how could I abandon you? Besides, I myself am the deputy chief in charge of work at the Public Security Bureau; accompanying you is only natural."

Su Yang nodded, said nothing more, and kept this kindness in his heart. At this moment he couldn't afford to get sentimental; he kept thinking about how, upon arriving at the scene, he could smoothly rescue the former county magistrate's granddaughter.